Variable Stocking

To manage pasture for maximum production and nutrition, and so make more and better beef, the animals' needs must be matched to the pasture's needs. There are three ways to do this.

1. Move stock on and off pasture as needed to assure that every animal is full and all the pasture is eaten. Vary the stocking rate to achieve proper grazing intensity for pasture health.
   
   
2. Feed stored forage on pasture as needed to substitute for pasture when it isn't available in sufficient quantity to satisfy the needs of a fixed stocking rate, and so avoid over grazing the pasture and hurting future production. The stocking rate would be high enough to consume maximum pasture production.
   
   
3. Clip excess pasture and either store it for later or just leave it as mulch. It can be stored as hay bales, baleage or silage - all of which take significant amounts of equipment, good timing and good luck.
   

The easiest and perhaps the best choice is #2 - feed out stored forage bought in from outside. It takes less equipment, is more controllable and predictable, and is a form of imported fertility that enhances pastures. But it is a bought input that adds costs to production that may at times exceed the benefit in beef gains. When you do full accounting and consider the costs of alternatives as well as the benefit to pastures it is always profitable to do so long as you don't have to pay labor costs to feed it out.

Some clipping to clean up refusal areas will always be needed. The animals can be allowed to high grade paddocks a little - which increases clipping a bit - in times of slight excess. In other words the stocking rate could be a little below maximum prodcution needs and make up the slack with a little clipping.

In a way, raising steers for beef has a built in variable stocking aspect since their consumption rises with their weight. If they eat 3% of body weight a day then they will eat a lot more at 750# than they did at 500#. Considering the growing need for forage as the animal ages and gains weight is part of matching grazing intensity to pasture production.

Actual variable stocking - moving animals onto and off of pasture - only makes sense if it is easy for both the animal and the grass farmer. Herding them into trailers and hauling them around makes no sense. It takes time, fuel and equipment, and terrorizes the animals, which screws up their blood chemistry, puts them off feed and makes them sick. Kicking them off the pasture to graze the mountain works better. Letting them onto the pasture from the mountain works too.